There are many things which we can afford to forget which it is yet well to learn.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
The only prize much cared for by the powerful is power. The prize of the general is not a bigger tent, but command.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Power is the ultimate goal for those in positions of authority, not material possessions or accolades.
In this quote, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. highlights the idea that for those who hold power, the pursuit of control and influence is paramount. While others may aspire to achieve more superficial rewards or luxuries, true leaders, particularly in the military or governance, are driven by the desire for command over others and the power it entails.
Themes
PowerControlLeadershipInfluenceAuthority
In practice
Example use cases
During a political debate, you might use this quote to emphasize the motivations behind political actions.
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
All quotes βOn the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth of life as an end in itself, as against the saints who deny it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Why should you row a boat race? Why endure the long months of pain in preparation for a fierce half hour that will leave you all but dead? Does anyone ask the question? Is there anyone who would not go through all the costs, and more, for the moment when anguish breaks into triumph or even for the glory of having nobly lost? Is life less than a boat race? If a man will give the blood in his body to win the one, will he spend all the might of his soul to prevail in the other?
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Beware how you take away hope from another human being.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
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